19 June 2008
A pilot scheme which has seen changes in the way stroke patients are treated across south west London has already spared a man from permanent disability and a prolonged length of stay in hospital, say doctors at St Helier Hospital.
The six month pilot, which is being led by Wandsworth Primary Care Trust, began at the end of January and is designed to give patients access to thrombolysis (clot busting treatment for people who have had a stroke) 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The first patient to receive stroke thrombolysis at St Helier Hospital was 65 year old Bob Ball. The treatment was successful with very positive results.
Dr Ajay Bhalla is a consultant at St Helier Hospital who specialises in treating people who have had strokes. He said: "The pilot is all about different teams in the hospital, as well as the London Ambulance Service, working together to make sure people who have had a stroke get given clot-busting drugs within three hours of suffering a stroke. Thanks to the team efforts of the London Ambulance Service, A&E staff, radiology and the stroke department, Mr Ball received immediate treatment and was given a drug to dissolve a clot in the brain and help to restore blood flow."
Bob initially arrived at the hospital with symptoms of stroke which, if left untreated, would have meant a lengthy stay in hospital and long term therapy to minimise the inevitable disability he would have suffered. However, he was seen by the stroke team and assessed and scanned within 15 minutes of arriving at hospital. After a scan of his head, it was felt he was eligible for Alteplase - an injectable drug, given directly into a vein, used to overcome blood clots and strokes.
Stroke unit manager Janet Peters said: "Bob was out of bed and walking the day after his treatment. The cause of his stroke was identified and he underwent a surgical procedure to help prevent any further strokes. He was discharged home in just over a week (including his surgery and recovery period) and is now fit and well."
She added: "We were able to monitor his vital signs closely with the help of new telemetric monitoring equipment which was funded with a substantial donation from the League of Friends and donations from stroke patients and their families."
The Stroke service operates from C3 ward at St Helier Hospital and treats over 300 people each year from the Sutton and Merton areas.
